Concerns persist as ARTC refines rail line

WHEN Bob and Jean Buckley moved onto their Umbiram property more than two decades ago, it was “lovely and peaceful”.

Now, with the Inland Rail line proposed to run roughly a kilometre from their home, that peace “might be disturbed somewhat”, Mr Buckley wryly noted after visiting an information session at Southbrook Hall yesterday.

The couple were two of hundreds who turned out this week to information sessions hosted by Australian Rail Track Corporation, proponent of the Federal Government’s $11 billion Inland Rail project.

While the Buckleys are concerned about the impact of noise and vibrations from passing trains, they said they felt for those whose properties would be cut by the line.

“I just feel sorry for the people where it’s going to come very close to their homes and so on,” Mr Buckley said.

Inland Rail senior project manager Rob Smith said the purpose of ARTC’s information sessions this week was to update the community on the design process and to hear about “what is important to them such as flooding, level crossings and noise”.

Also released to the community this week was the preliminary design of the Condamine Floodplain crossing, a controversial 12.5km stretch of line between Millmerran and Pampas.

A draft engineering solution for the crossing was fast-tracked late last year, after it was revealed in a Senate Estimates hearing that no detailed design work had been done, exposing the project to a potential cost blow-out.

Originally designed with three bridges totalling 1.8km in length with 950 culverts along the embankment, the preliminary design of the floodplain crossing now features five bridges totalling 5.7km, and 540 culverts.

Costings for the preliminary design of the Condamine floodplain were unable to be released by ARTC, due to commercial sensitivities.

Mr Smith said information gathered during consultation with the community was being fed into the design process.

“We need local knowledge to get the best result,” he said.

ARTC is working to further refine sections of the rail corridor over the coming months.

Photo: Matthew Newton CONCERNED: While Umbiram residents Bob and Jean Buckley are worried about noise and vibration from the proposed Inland Rail line, they feel for the people whose properties will be dissected by the final route.